David Liss was recommended to me by the website of my local library. All I can say is “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” The hero of the Liss series is Benjamin Weaver, a Jewish ex-boxer turned Private Investigator/Collection Agent in 1719 London. The first book in the series is A Conspiracy of Paper.
Ben Weaver is approached by two clients early in the book. The first wants him to investigate the “suicide” of his father who was a friend of Ben’s father who also died under mysterious circumstances. The second wants him to retrieve some stolen documents. As Ben follows the trail of the two problems, he realizes that they are connected. Among the suspects are the Bank of England and the South Sea Company, both of which are vying to be the sole source providing monetary services the British Government.
Ben is also trying to reconnect with his estranged family that includes an aunt, an uncle, and a gorgeous cousin who is the widow of his aunt and uncle’s only son. Ben also has a brother whom he has not seen in a long time who lives in Holland. During the course of the story, the reader will learn a little about the British Stock Exchange of the period and its operation. Also the background of the collapse of the famous South Sea Bubble is discussed. By the way, coffee was introduced into London society in 1652 and tea in 1658–thus the proliferation of coffee houses in 1719.
GO! BUY! READ!
–Jim Harris, retired book sales rep
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